National Roundup . . .

Pennsylvania
Woman accused of prostitution offered ‘free fun’
MOUNT JOY, Pa. (AP) — A central Pennsylvania woman accused of running a prostitution service out of her home says she charged only for massages, and that any sex that occurred with clients afterward was just “free fun.”

Thirty-two-year-old Crystal Sweigart faces a preliminary hearing Dec. 18 on charges she was operating illegally.

But the Mount Joy woman, who posted ads offering “massage and stress relief” says she charged $50 for massages, but didn’t solicit payment for sex.

She says anything that happened when the massage stopped becomes two consenting adults having fun. Sweigart went on to explain that she’s simply an “open-minded, sexual person who connected with men who were unfulfilled.”

Police have also charged a man and another woman who, they say, operated a Craigslist page used to advertise for Sweigart’s clients.

Arkansas
School to rename ISIS registration computer system
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Students at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville will no longer register for classes with ISIS — that is, the Integrated Student Information System.

Beginning in January, the computer system will be known as UAConnect. University spokesman Steve Voorhies says the name change was finalized well before last week’s deadly attacks in Paris that have been attributed to the Islamic State group, sometimes known as ISIS.

Voorhies tells the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that UAConnect is preferable because it actually describes the registration system, not to mention the current “negative meanings” associated with the acronym ISIS.

Voorhies says the university’s top administrators, including interim Chancellor Dan Ferritor, agreed to the change. Ferritor says the new name has been in the works since before he became interim chancellor in August.


Rhode Island
‘I’ve been framed’ ex-mayor quips at portrait reveal
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A portrait of former mayor and two-time felon Buddy Cianci was unveiled at City Hall, and Cianci couldn’t resist telling a one-liner referring to his criminal past.

“It’s not the first time I’ve been framed,” Cianci cracked Thursday to an overflow crowd of cheering supporters.

The portrait includes references to some of Cianci’s triumphs as Providence mayor, including a book about the Providence Renaissance, when the city’s downtown was revitalized. It also shows Cianci with a full head of hair. He was known for wearing a toupee in office but now refers to it as “the squirrel.”

Cianci, who spent 21 years in office and is the city’s longest-serving mayor, noted he had only been back to City Hall once since he left office in 2002 and that was a brief visit to register to vote. He said after the ceremony that Thursday’s visit filled him with nostalgia.

“For some reason, it looks smaller,” he said.

Cianci was forced from office twice, first in 1984, when he pleaded no contest to assaulting a man with a fireplace log, an ashtray and a lit cigarette. His second administration ended in 2002 with a 4 1/2-year federal prison term for racketeering conspiracy. He attempted a comeback bid for mayor as an independent last year but lost to Jorge Elorza, a Democrat and political novice.

City Hall already featured portraits of all the mayors before Cianci. The Cianci portrait was privately funded and presented during a ceremony sponsored by the city archivist’s office. Elorza was notably absent. A spokesman said he was invited but had a scheduling conflict.

When asked what Elorza thought about hanging Cianci’s portrait in City Hall, spokesman Evan England first referred calls to the archivist and the City Council. When pressed for Elorza’s opinion about it, England did not comment.

City reference archivist Britni Gorman said the office was focused on tradition and was not concerned about Cianci’s criminal history.

“For us, it doesn’t matter,” Gorman said. “We carry the tradition of putting up these portraits.”

The celebration came to an abrupt end when Cianci, 74, was overcome by the heat in the packed room and had to sit down. An ambulance was called as a precaution, and Cianci was hospitalized briefly Thursday night.

His former campaign manager, Cyd McKenna, said he did not collapse or lose consciousness.

“He was just hot and understandably woozy,” she said. “He’s fine.”

Cianci, who hosts a daily talk radio show, was treated for cancer last year.


Montana
Court rules against public defender for MD
HAMILTON, Mont. (AP) — A Montana doctor facing hundreds of felony charges for over-prescribing pain medication has been told he doesn’t qualify for a public defender.

The Ravalli Republic reports that a motion filed Wednesday says Dr. Chris Christensen of Florence doesn’t financially qualify for free legal representation and will need to find an attorney somewhere else.

Christensen is accused of providing hundreds of illegal prescriptions to patients. His 400 felony charges include two for negligent homicide because police say he prescribed methadone to two patients who later died.

The doctor could face up to 388 life sentences plus 135 years in prison and $20 million in fines.

Until now, Christensen has been represented by two attorneys paid by the state, but their appointment was rescinded Wednesday.

Montana
Appeals court upholds woman’s 30-year jail term
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — An appeals court has upheld the 30-year prison sentence for a woman who admitted to pushing her husband to his death off a cliff in Glacier National Park.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that federal prosecutors did not breach a plea agreement with Jordan Graham, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the July 2013 death of Cody Johnson just days after they married.

They also found that a federal judge was right in denying Graham’s motion to withdraw her guilty plea after she was sentenced.

Graham’s attorney said that prosecutors unfairly claimed that Johnson’s death was premeditated at sentencing and argued for a sentence in line with premeditated first-degree murder. The judges ruled that the plea deal did not prohibit such arguments.